Cavs get days to rest after sweep of Pistons

A four-game sweep of the Pistons earns the Cavs a rare luxury during the playoffs -- some time off.

Chris Beaven

If things go as planned, the Cavs’ summer vacation will not be starting until late June after winning an NBA title.

That doesn’t mean the Cavs won’t mind their version of spring break this week.

By finishing off Detroit in four games Sunday, the Cavs could be off for as long as a week before their next series.

“That’s what happens when you take care of business, you get a little break,” LeBron James said after Sunday’s 99-78 win over Detroit.

The soonest Cleveland could open play in the Eastern Conference semifinals is this weekend against Atlanta or Miami. Those two played Game 4 of their series Monday night. If that series goes seven games, though, Game 7 is Sunday, and the Cavs would be off until next Tuesday or Wednesday.

“Rest is going to be great,” forward Anderson Varejao said. “It is going to be good for all of us because we have some players with some pains here and there, and it will give us all a chance to take some time and keep working hard.”

Sweeping the Pistons to earn extra time off was not Cleveland’s focus.

“It’s more important we play well and get better,” James said. “That game, I think we did that. We got better every single quarter. We did not take a possession off.”

Forward Ben Wallace said the Cavs just wanted to play “our style of basketball.”

That meant strong team defense, an offense led by James and contributions from a variety of other sources on both ends of the floor.

The Cavs held Detroit under 40 percent shooting in each of the final three games of the series. The Pistons averaged just 78 points per game. On the other end, five Cavs averaged double figures -- James (32.0), Mo Williams (14.8), Delonte West (11.5), Zydrunas Ilgauskas (11.3) and Joe Smith (10.8).

The Cavs struggled shooting at times, but imposed their will on the Pistons by attacking them and getting to the foul line. The Cavs outscored them by 12.25 points a game at the foul line, attempting 66 more free throws in the series.

“We are going to be a tough team to beat and we forced the Pistons to play the way that we wanted them to play,” Wallace said. “... We need to stay mentally focused for the next series.”

Coach Mike Brown is unsure how a long break could affect his team. He gave the Cavs the day off Monday.

“Beyond that I have not thought much about it,” he said. What Brown knows is the extra time off “for some of our older guys will be great.”

Ilgauskas, Wallace and Smith -- three of Cleveland’s top four big men – all fit into that category. Plus, Wallace has been dealing with a sore knee.

Extra rest also should help others. James and West each played more than 40 minutes a game against Detroit, while Williams averaged 37.

While getting their rest, the Cavs need to stay focused.

“We have to make sure we understand that this is a step for us ... in our journey,” Brown said. “And you have to continue to respect it like we have so far.”